Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1243rd meeting held on 1 November 2024 on the theme: Implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa:

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling the African Youth Charter adopted by the 7th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of States and Government held in Banjul, The Gambia, on 2 July 2006, particularly, Article 17, which recognizes the important role of the youth in promoting peace and security in Africa;

Also recalling Assembly Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.868 (XXXVII)] adopted by the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on 17-18 February 2024, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, calling on Member States to continue the implementation of the Continental Framework on Youth, Peace and Security, including through the development of National Action Plans;

Further recalling its previous decisions and pronouncements on Youth Peace and Security, particularly Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1183 (2023)] adopted at its 1183rd meeting held on 03 November 2023; Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1067(2022)] adopted at its 1067th meeting held on 3 March 2022; and Press Statement [PSC/PR/PS.1118 (2022)] adopted at its 1118th meeting held on 3 November 2022;

Expressing concern over the persistence of conflict and crisis situations in the Continent, disproportionately affecting the youth, women, children and the most vulnerable in society;

Faithful to the realization of Agenda 2063, particularly Aspirations 4 and 6, envisioning a peaceful and secure Africa and an Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential offered by its people, especially women and youth and caring for children;

Noting the opening remarks made by H.E. Ambassador Jean Léon Ngandu Ilunga, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for November 2024, the statement of H.E. Ambassador Adeoye Bankole, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, the statement by H.E. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office to the AU; and the statement by the representative of the European Union Delegation to the African Union;

Also noting the statements by the Africa Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAPs), namely: Mr. Julien Vikemba, Central African Region; Ms. Nashiba Nakabira, Eastern African Region; Mr. Arif Abdeljalil Moussa, Northern African Region; Ms. Mpule Kgetsi, Southern African region; and Ms. Simone Mbode Diouf, Western African region;

Further noting statements by the representatives of AU member States and the statement by the Intergovernmental Development Authority (IGAD) Special Envoy on Youth;

Reaffirming the AU’s commitment to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020), as well as to the meaningful inclusion of youth in governance and peace and security processes in the Continent and to find solutions to the root causes of the conflicts that affect African youth and hinder their legitimate aspirations for peace, security and development; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Acknowledges the significant efforts by the AU, Member States and the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) in ensuring the meaningful participation and inclusion of youth in the governance, peace and security agenda of the Union, and encourages Member States to create space for the inclusion of the youth in decision-making in all spheres, including in governance structures and for the youth to access socio-economic opportunities to advance their development;

2. Applauds Member States which have already signed, ratified and domesticated the African Youth Charter; commends the Member States that have started the process of developing their National Action Plans (NAPs) on Youth, Peace and Security, notes with concern that to date, only two (2) member states, Nigeria and the DRC, have successfully adopted their NAPs on YPS, and in this regard, strongly encourages Member States to redouble efforts to develop youth-centered NAPs and further avail requisite resources to efficiently implement them;

3. Welcomes the update provided by the Commission on the successful development of a draft Continental Guideline for the Development and Implementation of NAPs on YPS, aimed at supporting Member States in harmonizing and accelerating the process for the development of their NAPs, and in this regard, directs the Commission to present this draft Guideline to the PSC Committee of Experts for validation, and ultimately to this Council for consideration and adoption within three months;

4. Commends H.E. Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi and the AU Champion for Youth, Peace and Security, for his steadfast efforts in advancing the YPS agenda and engaging African youth across the Continent and advocating for their inclusion in peace efforts in Africa; and in this regard, requests the Commission to work closely with the AU Champion, RECs/RMs, the Youth Envoy, the AYAPs, and relevant partners to provide Member States with requisite support to popularize, develop and implement youth-centered NAPs on YPS;

5. Commends the youth for their important role at national, regional and continental levels in the prevention of violence, the promotion of peace, security, stability and socio-economic development and efforts towards building foundations for peaceful societies within the framework of the implementation of the AU Master Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by the Year 2030, and Aspiration 4 of Agenda 2063, the Continental Framework on Youth Peace and Security (CFYPS) and its 10-Year Implementation Plan as well as UN Security Council Resolutions 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020);

6. Congratulates the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on Youth and the AYAPs for their continued commitment to advancing the YPS agenda across the continent, for bringing the voices and concerns of the youth to policy and decision-making making spaces at continental and global levels, and for advocating for the meaningful inclusion of young peacebuilders in peace efforts at all levels;

7. Welcomes the update provided by the AU Commission on the full operationalization of the Network of African Youth in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (WiseYouth Network), as a subsidiary mechanism of the Panel of the Wise, and notes with satisfaction that the new members of the 1st Cohort of the Network will serve for a three-year mandate starting in October 2024 until September 2027; in this regard requests the Commission to ensure that WiseYouth members are meaningfully included in all AU-led preventive diplomacy, mediation, dialogue and peace processes, in line with their mandate;

8. Welcomes the continued efforts by the Commission, through the African Governance Architecture and African Peace and Security Architecture (AGA-APSA) platform, to promote youth leadership in governance and political spaces, as a means of ensuring the meaningful inclusion of youth in national decision-making structures; and notes with satisfaction ongoing efforts to promote cross-regional learning and capacity-building for youth on leadership in governance;

9. Underscores the need for continued close collaboration and complementarity of efforts between the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on Youth, the AYAPs, the WiseYouth Network, the Youth for Peace Africa program, the AGA-APSA Secretariat, as well as Youth Focal Points in the RECs/RMs, and youth networks, to ensure that efforts and programs are contextspecific and synergized for greater impact;

10. Underscores the role of Pan-African Youth Union (PYU) as a continental platform for the organization of African youth and the promotion of their crucial engagement towards the attainment of peace, security and development in Africa;

11. Underscores the following actions as critical components for advancing the YPS agenda on the continent:

a. The need for Member States to re-double their efforts in ensuring that the necessary structures are put in place for youth to meaningfully engage in governance, peacebuilding, and peacemaking efforts at the national level;

b. The imperative for Member States to sufficiently allocate resources for the implementation of NAPs in line with their national policies, to increase the active engagement and sustainability of the YPS agenda at the National level, regional and continental level;

c. The importance of mainstreaming peace education in school curriculums to capacitate youth to effectively engage in formal peacebuilding interventions, as well as the need to further invest in capacity building, mentorship, and development initiatives to empower young people to fully realise their potential and actively advance peace, security, and stability at local, national, regional, or continental levels;

d. The need for Member States to create conducive conditions for the youth to actively participate in efforts aimed at addressing peace and security challenges;

e. The need for Member States to consider facilitating cultural activities amongst the youth of the Continent, including sports, aimed at fostering cohesive societies and bridging the divides, in accordance with the African Youth Charter and the African Cultural Renaissance Charter;

f. The importance of promoting the inclusion of young women, drawing from the Women, Peace and Security framework;

g. Promote strategic partnerships and regional coordination between Member States, UN, RECs/RMs to have a lasting impact in conflict-affected regions;

h. The need to ensure that members of the WiseYouth network are systematically engaged in all AU-led and co-led preventive diplomacy, mediation, dialogue, and other peace processes on the continent, including through their co-deployment with the Panel of the Wise and other AU-mediators, in order to promote mentorship and ensure that peace efforts are inclusive and meaningfully take into account the concerns of the youth;

i. The need to enhance the capacities of youth to have access to research and data that allows them to anticipate, prevent, and address emerging threats to peace and security, including on issues such as climate change impact, rising food insecurity, migration, evolving digital technologies, the impact of social media and artificial intelligence, and others;

12. Notes the update provided on the ongoing mid-term review of the 10-Year Implementation of the CFYPS and looks forward to receiving the final report toward identifying existing gaps and challenges and concrete recommendations on how to strengthen the implementation of the CFYPS;

13. Calls on all AU Member States and RECs/RMs to celebrate African Youth Month every November of each year, to reflect and act on commitments towards young people as highlighted in the African Youth Charter and the AU agenda 2063;

14. Expresses appreciation to the development partners for their continued support to the African youth, as well as to the implementation of the YPS agenda and the CFYPS, and requests the Commission to ensure synergy of efforts with the development partners for a more substantial impact; and

15. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS